House Passes Mental Health Reform
In its first major effort to improve assistance for Americans with mental illness, the House passed legislation Wednesday afternoon aiming to reform the country’s patchwork of mental health programs.Approved 422 to 2, the bill had been toned down from the original version championed by Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa.., to garner support from Democrats. Instead of a sweeping overhaul, the measure makes incremental changes to how 112 government agencies coordinate with each other, compensate providers and make care available to those suffering from depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety and other illnesses.Its provisions include making some changes to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – requiring its director to have a clinical background and changing the way it reviews grants — and calling for studies and reviews that could lead to future reforms in the way mental healthcare is delivered and patients are treated.
